Shredding with medium to high action

[Mr. B]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

I've been really working on old-school shred stuff for a couple of years. Here is my take. I think it is a balance between having actions low enough so you aren't wasting effort and having it high enough so your finger doesn't lose the string during bends. When you begin to lower the action, it exposed any slop in fret leveling that the manufacturer did not address. I find it is a problem on most guitars at some point unless they are high end guitars. Guitars that never gave you a minutes problem with higher action can become buzz-o-matics with lower action.

You can get away with higher action with lighter gauge strings because the effort to fret the string is less. I usually play at very low volumes, so 8 gauge just sounds too thin and rattly to me. I have settled on 9.5 gauge as my favorite combination for most guitars. It is easy enough to bend and fret, but isn't as thin and buzzy as 8's and 9's. I play 9's on one guitar, but use balanced tension 9's. I use 10's and tune down to E flat on a couple of guitars that sound too thin and anemic with 9.5's.

 

[Archer_of_Fish]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

I set mine at about 1.5mm at on the high e and it scales up to about 2mm on the low E. It really depends on the guitar.

And remember that even though some speed players keep their action quite high others (Richie Kotzen, Jason Becker, Joe Satriani, Al DiMeola) who play with very low action.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

I've got mine set so I get no buzz ..usually about 2.5 - 3mm at the last fret (low E/High E ). I think the sound's better that way too..fuller & more dynamic..

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

This is how i do it.

E - high
A - low
D- high
G - low
B- high
E - low

 

[EDX]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

dimebag darrell shred with medium to high action, originally 'cause his deans were built for tom's and strings thru not top mount floyd's, and then "he LIKED to be able to get his fingers under some notes"

 

[Archer250]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

dimebag darrell shred with medium to high action, originally 'cause his deans were built for tom's and strings thru not top mount floyd's, and then "he LIKED to be able to get his fingers under some notes"

Aren't his floyds routed for pullups?

 

[EDX]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

on his sigs, on the originals no, dime started the whole floyd 'em up after buddy blaze took dime's cherry dean ml from a band mate, hot rodded it and the gave it back to dime, blaze's idea was to made that guitar a top mount floyd ala EVH, but the neck angle demanded the bridge to be set really high

 

[Archer250]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

on his sigs, on the originals no, dime started the whole floyd 'em up after buddy blaze took dime's cherry dean ml from a band mate, hot rodded it and the gave it back to dime, blaze's idea was to made that guitar a top mount floyd ala EVH, but the neck angle demanded the bridge to be set really high

So, like a shim?

 

[greekdude]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

Those Deans were set-in. No shim.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

Those Deans were set-in. No shim.

No, I mean were the necks angled backwards like a LP or a bolt on with a shim?

 

[greekdude]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

^^ pretty likely yes. Most short-scale HH mahogany fixed bridge (TOM-style) guitars are like this.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

^^ pretty likely yes. Most short-scale HH mahogany fixed bridge (TOM-style) guitars are like this.

Action shouldn't be too high on the fretboard, then. The bridge is another matter, though.

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

Once the action gets too low (especially with small frets) I can't get a good grip on the strings and they slip when I bend. The other thing is I like to really dig in and hit the strings with a good attack, especially on the Low E, A and D down in frets 1 - 5 and if they're too low down there, they'll get a bit of a rattle. Ive tried to back my attack off, but its just something I inherently do

 

[Lampy H]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

I don't shred at all, I have a borderline abusive right hand technique, and I play 11-56 strings. I'm not too keen on low action.

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: Shredding with medium to high action

I've got mine set so I get no buzz ..usually about 2.5 - 3mm at the last fret (low E/High E ). I think the sound's better that way too..fuller & more dynamic..

same as i do.. about 3mm on the low e at the 24th fret.... IMO thats plenty low if you are a string bender like I am